Calgary Stampeders fan Jeremy Ballantine is in the midst of a 55-hour bus ride to Toronto to see the 100th Grey Cup game.

Calgary resident Jeremy Ballantine, 29, is chronicling his 55-hour bus ride to the 100th Grey Cup game in Toronto for CBC Calgary.

By:Kamila HinksonStaff Reporter, Published on Thu Nov 22 2012

Football fans from all over the country are expected to touch down at Toronto-area airports ahead of the 100th Grey Cup this week.

But Calgary resident Jeremy Ballantine decided to make a trip of it instead and is hitting the open road on the bus.

“If I have a choice, why not sit on a bus and really enjoy myself? I get to meet people, I get to see the beautiful countryside, and I don’t have to drive,” said the 29-year-old.

The round-trip Greyhound ticket cost him $300, considerably less than a plane or train trip would have set him back. He estimates he saved between $800 and $1,100.

Ballantine decided the bus would be an affordable way to spare his 1994 Ford Escort the roughly 3,400-kilometre trip down the Trans-Canada Hwy. He suspected the car probably wouldn’t be as keen on making the trip as he is.

Ballantine is chronicling his journey across the country for CBC Calgary in the form of blog posts, radio hits and videos.

He’s attending the game with his brother, who is also from Calgary. He is alone on the bus, however; his brother has a wife and 3-year old son at home and couldn’t justify being gone for so long, so he’s travelling by plane.

Ballantine says he doesn’t have as many commitments waiting for him to return, other than his now lonely girlfriend.

He booked the bus ticket a few weeks ago but he’s had the tickets to the game since they went on sale last year.

“There are milestones that happen throughout life, and this is one of them,” he said.

Ballantine embarked on the 55-hour trip Tuesday at noon, and is expected to arrive in Toronto on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Stamps fans with less definite travel plans can still get to Toronto and find a ticket to the game, although at this point, it won’t be cheap.

WestJet announced Monday it was adding one flight from Calgary to Toronto and another from Toronto to Calgary.

A spokesperson said there are still seats remaining on the Friday flight from Calgary to Toronto, but that Monday’s return trip was expected to sell out by the end of the day Wednesday.

The big game officially sold out back in June, but there are still tickets to be had if you’re willing to shell out for them.

Ticket resale website StubHub lists the cheapest ticket at $299 in section 531. The most expensive ticket? A whopping $25,000, for an entire suite.

Ballantine, a lifelong Stampeders fan, saw his first game when he was 5, “and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

This will be the second Grey Cup game he’s attended; the first was in 2009 in Calgary, when the now infamous 13th-man blunder gave the Montreal Alouettes a victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the dying minutes of the game.

Heading toward Toronto in anticipation of the atmosphere and excitement surrounding the 100th Grey Cup is one thing, but Ballantine acknowledged that heading back could be a different story.

“I’m hoping I’ll have 55 hours of glow from a Calgary Stampeders victory,” he said.

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